Willie Fritz didn’t wait long to turn Houston’s latest win into a call to action.
After the Cougars rolled past Kansas State 35-16 on the road in Week 6, the Houston coach opened his postgame remarks by looking ahead to a Saturday night showdown that should carry plenty of weight in the Big 12 race. Houston, now No. 20 in the AP Poll, will host No. 18 Oklahoma State at TDECU Stadium in what shapes up as the biggest home game on the schedule.
“We've got two teams that are ranked, going to be playing next Saturday at 6:30. Not 11. 6:30 p.m.
We need to get as many Coogs out there as humanly possible. It's going to be a great game.
Got two fantastic quarterbacks,” Fritz said. “Probably two of the better quarterbacks in the nation.
Two really good teams. Let's get some people out there.
It won't be hot. It'll be nice and cool...so come on out.”
Houston’s rise into the top 20 comes with some historical note, too. The Cougars have been ranked in the AP Poll for the first six weeks of the season and in the preseason poll for the first time since 2016.
Now they get a prime chance to back up that ranking under the lights. Saturday’s game at 6:30 p.m. will be the first top-25 matchup at TDECU Stadium since the 2015 American Athletic Conference Championship, when No.
16 Houston played No. 20 Temple.
It’s also a national TV game, adding another layer to a meeting that already feels like a major moment.
Attendance has been an issue for Houston despite the ranking, and this is the kind of night that could change that. The Cougars drew just over 25,000 for their last home game against UCF in a stadium that seats 40,000.
That contest was an 11 a.m. kickoff and Houston wore blue uniforms with special space-themed helmets. The season opener against Oregon State brought close to 29,000, and the non-conference game against Southern was played at 6 p.m. on a Saturday.
With a ranked opponent, a later kickoff, and weather Fritz specifically pointed out, Houston has a real chance to pack the place. If the Cougars are going to protect home field in one of their biggest games of the season, they may need the stadium to sound like it.